The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 81 -
The death of man.
A scribe however, who was converted to Me and had stayed with us, said: "Lord and Master, You have now said to the wonderful Mary of Magdalon that You Yourself are a true bread from the Heavens and likewise a real wine, and whoever will eat this bread and drink this wine will eternally not see, feel or taste death. Of course, I know that with the word 'bread' You have meant Your word and with the 'wine' the living Spirit, and with the 'eating of the bread' the acceptance of Your word and with 'drinking of the wine' the acting according to Your godly teaching, which certainly comes from the Heavens because You Yourself are the only supreme Lord of Heaven and also of the Earth. But the fact that he who will eat the true heavenly bread and will drink the wine from the Heavens will not die at all, is something totally new, and I do not know how I should understand this. For we also can say about all people that they will not see nor feel death, and will also not taste it, for indeed, man does not see, feel or taste death as long as he is still alive, but when he has died and is death, then he certainly also cannot see, feel or taste death because he has no life and consequently has no more feeling. You can see that this matter has, according to my insight, a double meaning within itself and that therefore it is desirable that You as Lord over life and death would clarify this matter a little more for us.
2
All patriarchs and prophets - who also lived and acted strictly according to Your will that was revealed to them - have ultimately died, and we certainly also will all have to die, because You Yourself have at different opportunities pointed out to us all too clearly the falling away of the flesh from the soul, but now You say that for the one who will accept Your teaching and will in fact follow it, will have no death. How should we understand this?"
3
I said: "Friend, with you a lot more proofs will be needed before it will be completely clear within you. Did I perhaps mean that a human being who will live according to My word will always continue to live physically on this Earth? How can someone as scribe think and consider things so blindly and foolishly. What the body concerns, of course every human being will die, and his body will certainly not see, feel or taste death, but the soul of a sinner all the more if he will not improve his life according to My teaching and will not do real, true penance. Because for the one whose soul is still completely mingled and grown together with the flesh and the sensual lust thereof will very well see, feel and taste death when the hour of the loosening for the body will come.
4
Just look how discouraging it is for the soul of a criminal when he, according to the laws is dragged to the place of execution to die. That soul can in the first place already see the bodily death before him and he feels and tastes it in a very torturing manner, and in the second place, death continues for that powerless and spiritual dead soul in the beyond still for a very long time. The latter happens because in his powerlessness and complete desertion he cannot anymore revenge himself according to his burning anger on those who killed his body, and secondly because he comes into the deepest darkness of his life out of which he cannot find any escape and so he endures the worst suffering, this until he recognizes his own wickedness and bears his lot with patience. Does this perhaps not mean that such a soul can see, feel, and taste death?
5
But a soul who according to My teaching is already on this Earth completely reborn in his spirit out of Me, will certainly eternally not see, feel or taste such death, for when I will call him to Me for eternity, he will separate from the body in the fullest and clearest life's consciousness without any pain. I say to you: many of you who will have reached the spiritual rebirth, will ask Me from this Earth: 'Lord, how long will You still let us carry the heavy burden of the flesh?' And with all love I will say to them: 'Be still patient for a short while, then I will deliver you from your burden.' And if one or the other of you will be killed by the heathens for the sake of My name, he will laugh and will rejoice, for as a martyr he will be freed from the flesh, and even in the pains of the flesh he will feel a happy delight. And when this is certainly so and not different, did I then speak ambiguously as you scribe said to have understood? Tell me now if you still think the same about this matter."
6
The scribe said: "Yes, Lord and Master, now also this matter is clear. I understand it now and am also very glad about it, although I still must openly confess that even the most beatific bodily death for those who still must stay on Earth in the flesh is absolutely nothing attractive or desirous, but shows only the opposite, and seems to be very humiliating for the honor, for a human being and in a certain way lord over the nature, because the intelligent person who raises himself in his thoughts, belief and knowledge to the complete God's consciousness and carries also in his heart God's love, has finally with dying no advantage with no matter what kind of animal, but by this he remains far behind.
7
Because the animal does certainly not know beforehand that it will die, and the human being must walk around his life long with this highest unpleasant awareness, and consequently it is not completely inconceivable that many people are already throwing themselves into all sensual worldly pleasures, because the bitter thought of a certain death is in a certain way forcing them towards it.
8
Especially in the healthy human mind, a happy feeling of bliss is certainly more important, for who would not like to be glad, happy and cheerful? But among these feelings that makes man so often happy, there are black and for the mind frightening thoughts of a certain death that are coming up, and then it is finished with the happiness for many days.
9
Yes, when every human being knew what we by Your mercy know now, he certainly would not bother about the thought of death. But how few are there who know that. And thus, in my opinion they are to be excused if in the midst of their misery, which they continuously are clearly aware of, are as much as possible looking for distraction, so that they as friends of a happy life would at any moment not be startled by the thought of death and the grave. I surely can perceive now that man with the carrying of his heavy fleshly burden can never become fully happy, and that the bodily death is finally an invaluable gain for him, but still, the Creator could have given man the privilege that his death would hold nothing bitter in itself, and nothing which would frighten his mind so much. Indeed, man could be absolved in one moment and become an inhabitant of the other world.
10
For what purpose is the often long-lasting pining away until death follows, for what the pains and the bitterness of death, and further the long-lasting decomposition and decaying of the dead body in the grave?
11
Short and good: with the usual method of dying of man I absolutely do not agree and I cannot consider it as fair."